'Guns level playing field' and more Letters to the Editors

'Guns level playing field' and more Letters to the Editors

August 15th, 2012 in Opinion Letters

Guns level playing field

David Cook's column "The case of Treason against the NRA" (Aug. 8) represents a fanciful, pitiful and unrealistic view. The author justifies his position by cherry picking low-probability statistics of an incident. His continued rambling rant includes "carrying a weapon to prevent a mass shooting is delusional." Tell that to the families and victims in the theater in Aurora, Colo. Tell that to the families of the famous Luby's Cafeteria massacre in Killeen, Texas. Don't forget about Virginia Tech. How is restrictive gun law in Chicago working this year?

Retired Marine Maj. L. Caudill in "The Gun Civilization" eloquently stated, "The gun is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year old retiree on equal footing with a 19-year old gang banger, and a single guy on equal footing with a carload of drunken guys with baseball bats."

The gun removes the disparity in physical strength, size or numbers between a potential attacker and a defender.

There are over 360,000 concealed carry permit holders in Tennessee. This statistic alone should speak volumes to Mr. Cook.

ROBERT CHILDRESS

Sewanee, Tenn.

Black is the best choice for sheriff

Catoosa County needs a sheriff who is ready to lead the day he takes office. While we have two candidates in the Aug. 21 runoff, there is only one who has the education and background ready to take on this task: Larry Black.

Larry currently serves as the commander of the Drug Task Force for the Lookout Mountain Judicial District. He has over three decades of experience and has proven his ability by rising through the ranks.

Larry Black is the best choice for Catoosa County sheriff, and I am proud to offer my support.

DELLA TENNEY

Fort Oglethorpe

What has happened to our country?

"I pledge allegiance to the ...

What has happened to the pride of the great Red, White and Blue? What has happened to the pride in our freedom to speak up against the unjust and evil doing of our national leaders and our fellow citizens?

What has happened to our personal pride, as individuals, not to need support in the form of handouts, but are willingly there to help their neighbor in need? What has happened to the family?

What has happened to our country's belief "In God we trust"? What has happened to our freedom to say those words anywhere we want to say them without our government telling us we cannot say those words?

What has happened to the America I knew as a child? The United States of America is like the torn and tattered flags I have seen around this country. The flags are hung without true pride. The flags hang torn without concern. I remember when that flag could only be hung with perfection and pride, because it belonged to people in a country that stated itself "One Nation under God," not "One Nation under government!"

CAROL RASHID

Blairsville, Ga.

Chick-fil-A stands for convictions

I would like to kindly disagree that the Chick-fil-A debate is about corporate money. They are a very successful company; however, if it were all about money, why did Chick-fil-A make the decision at the very beginning not to open on Sundays? After all, that decreased their profits. But it was their conviction, and they stood by it at the cost of losing money!

If any of us had money to give to an organization, wouldn't we give to the causes we believed in? I can't imagine we would do otherwise. After all, wouldn't we "put our money where our mouth is"?

It takes courage to stand by your convictions, even though people will criticize you. It's so easy for people to judge someone because they don't agree with them. I would hope those who disagree would be considerate of those who stand for their convictions.

KARLEEN HOWE

Ooltewah

Choice is clear: Vote for Obama

Now that Mitt Romney has made his vice presidential pick, we have a clear choice as to who should be commander-in-chief and leader of the free world. My choice has been and will continue to be Barack Obama.

The Chattanooga Times editorial (Aug. 11), "Romney's taxes, billionaires" said it best. "Despite his long and notorious record of political flip-flops, one thing we can say with certainty about Mitt Romney is that he has unbelievable Chutzpah." He will not release his income tax records (one exception, 2010 filing).

How is it that a person can come to the public asking them to give him a job, but will not disclose information that will help evaluate the person for the job? Mitt Romney says he has nothing to hide, then why not prove it by releasing the tax records so the people can decide?

Rather than release the tax records, Romney tries to shift the political focus by making deceitful welfare charges about the president. In the welfare ad about waivers the president has yet to issue, Romney lies outright.

So the choice for the American people is clearer. Vote in November to re-elect President Barack Obama!

JAMES WALTON,

Member, National Grassroots Fundraising Committee

Hixson

Fort Wood needs to add 'fringe' area

I have been following the recent issue that has come up in Fort Wood, i.e., should the "lesser" houses on Oak Street and what's left of East 5th Street be included within the neighborhood association's boundary lines. This is quibbling over a minor point.

The state of Tennessee can at any time use its power of eminent domain and money permitting, take over the entire neighborhood if it so chooses. So-called gentrification, very fashionable in the '80s and early '90s, quickly ran its course when many of the urban pioneers settling in these areas discovered the areas had high crime rates, no off-street parking and resale values of homes that were far below what was originally projected. These residents should be welcoming the "fringe areas," not rejecting them, as there isn't near the demand for homes in these areas as there once was, and when UTC encroaches on the area, which they eventually will, all these people will have to relocate anyway.

C. MICHAEL HYDER

Dalton, Ga.

Vote for Headrick to support ACA

Thanks for the Aug. 5 Times editorial describing the benefits of the Affordable Health Act (ACA). My favorite four ACA requirements are:

Insurance companies have to spend at least 80 percent of their income from premiums on medical care instead of, for example, profits and TV ads. Prior to ACA, BlueCross BlueShield failed to meet the 80 percent threshold and is now refunding $8.6 million to Tennessee policy holders.

Insurance companies have to cover people with pre-existing conditions, children now and everybody by 2014.

Prevents insurance companies from ever again canceling insurance when people get sick. (How in the world did they ever get away with doing that?)

ACA also gradually closes the "doughnut hole," which senior citizens know all about.

Mary Headrick, M.D., Democratic candidate for the U. S. House of Representatives, supports the ACA with its wide range of benefits for Americans. She will fight to make sure all citizens can get and keep affordable health insurance.

Rep. Chuck Fleischmann? He brags about voting several times to kill ACA. Who would that benefit?

Red states cutting their own throats

If you dig into it, you'll find that the red states get more back from the federal government than we send in. For every dollar we pay in federal income tax, individual and business, we get about a dollar and a quarter in return. The blue states are the ones that are financing our country, as they get less than a dollar returned for each dollar they pay in. Yet it's the red states that are clamoring to reduce federal spending. So, isn't it logical that if federal aid to states is cut, it will hurt red states first and hardest?

Is it possible that the hatred within the tea party and Republican Party for minorities in general and the black man in the White House in particular makes them willing to cut their own throats? Returning to the Clinton-era tax rates might not solve all of our problems, but it would be a good start. If you have a quarter of a million dollars in yearly taxable income but are struggling, an adjustment in lifestyle might be in order. And if you do have that much yearly taxable income and are looking for sympathy, consult your Webster's. It's under "S."

ALLAN BAGGETT

Trion, Ga.

Deffenbaugh gets ex-foe's backing

The recent Georgia primary election on July 31 was very close between John Deffenbaugh, Alan Painter and me, with all of us finishing within a few percentage points. John Deffenbaugh and I ran a similar campaign, both wanting to avoid wasteful spending, not to raise taxes, favoring the right to own and bear arms, and caring about an economy that provides jobs for all. John and I are members of different churches but share our faith in God.

As the citizens of Dade and Walker counties approach a runoff election for District 1 House of Representatives, I ask my supporters to join me in voting for John Deffenbaugh on Aug. 21.

MIKE NOWLIN

Chickamauga, Ga.

Cook column shows courage***

One of the great problems affecting our nation today is the lack of courage on the part of the majority to speak out against extremism, whether it be political partisanship, bigotry against homosexuals, intolerance of different religious beliefs, or other types of fear mongering. We've become inured to positions and actions that have moved far away from ordinary differences of opinion.

David Cook's column (Aug. 8) declaring the NRA treasonous is one of the bravest acts I've witnessed in a long time. I won't be surprised if the paper is filled with letters to the editor attacking Cook. But I believe the "silent majority" were nodding their heads when reading his column.

Why did judge dismiss cases?

I was concerned with the news of Walker County State Judge Bruce Roberts' dismissal of 53 cases, for no apparent reason, and what he called a "spur of the moment decision." Judges are allowed to throw out cases for good reason, but the wholesale dismissal of 53 cases, where lawbreakers were ready to plead guilty and pay their fines, is unfair to the citizens of Walker County.

Considering he just lost his re-election bid, one must wonder if he did this out of spite. All Walker taxpayers should be concerned. Roberts already has dismissed cases or failed to levy fines at an historic level, and has the court revenue behind by close to a quarter-million dollars.

If he continues his mismanagement through Dec.. 31, court revenues could be down by about $750,000. The revenue shortages will be made up by the taxpayers.

Local taxpayers, and all elected officials of Walker County, should demand an investigation by the state. I personally think he should resign immediately. His resignation, or removal, is the only way Walker County taxpayers will keep from paying a $750,000 revenue shortage through property-tax hikes.